We present a measurement of the cross section and transverse single-spin asymmetry (AN) for. mesons at large pseudorapidity from root s = 200 GeV p up arrow + p collisions. The measured cross section for 0.5 &lt; p(T) &lt; 5.0 GeV/c and 3.0 &lt; vertical bar eta vertical bar &lt; 3.8 is well described by a next-to-leading-order perturbative-quantum-chromodynamics calculation. The asymmetries A(N) have been measured as a function of Feynman-x (x(F)) from 0.2 &lt; vertical bar x(F)vertical bar &lt; 0.7, as well as transverse momentum (p(T)) from 1.0 &lt; p(T) &lt; 4.5 GeV/c. The asymmetry averaged over positive x(F) is &lt; A(N)&gt; = 0.061 +/- 0.014. The results are consistent with prior transverse single-spin measurements of forward eta and pi(0) mesons at various energies in overlapping x(F) ranges. Comparison of different particle species can help to determine the origin of the large observed asymmetries in p up arrow + p collisions.

Measurements of electrons from the decay of open-heavy-flavor mesons have shown that the yields are suppressed in Au+Au collisions compared to expectations from binary-scaled p+p collisions. These measurements indicate that charm and bottom quarks interact with the hot dense matter produced in heavy-ion collisions much more than expected. Here we extend these studies to two-particle correlations where one particle is an electron from the decay of a heavy-flavor meson and the other is a charged hadron from either the decay of the heavy meson or from jet fragmentation. These measurements provide more detailed information about the interactions between heavy quarks and the matter, such as whether the modification of the away-side-jet shape seen in hadron-hadron correlations is present when the trigger particle is from heavy-meson decay and whether the overall level of away-side-jet suppression is consistent. We statistically subtract correlations of electrons arising from background sources from the inclusive electron-hadron correlations and obtain two-particle azimuthal correlations at root s(NN) = 200 GeV between electrons from heavy-flavor decay with charged hadrons in p+p and also first results in Au+Au collisions. We find the away-side-jet shape and yield to be modified in Au+Au collisions compared to p+p collisions.

Measurements of double-helicity asymmetries in inclusive hadron production in polarized p + p collisions are sensitive to helicity-dependent parton distribution functions, in particular, to the gluon helicity distribution, Delta g. This study focuses on the extraction of the double-helicity asymmetry in eta production ((p) over right arrow + (p) over right arrow -&gt; eta + X), the eta cross section, and the eta/pi(0) cross section ratio. The cross section and ratio measurements provide essential input for the extraction of fragmentation functions that are needed to access the helicity-dependent parton distribution functions.

Background: Heavy-flavor modification in relativistic p(d) + A collisions are sensitive to different kinds of strong-interaction physics ranging from modifications of the nuclear wave function to initial- and final-state energy loss. Modifications to single heavy-flavor particles and their decay leptons at midrapidity and forward rapidity are well established at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Purpose: This paper presents measurements of azimuthal correlations of electron-muon pairs produced from heavy-flavor decays, primarily c (c) over bar, in root s(NN) = 200 GeV p + p and d + Au collision using the PHENIX detector at RHIC. The electrons are measured at midrapidity while the muons in the pair are measured at forward rapidity, defined as the direction of the deuteron beam, in order to utilize the deuteron to probe low-x partons in the gold nucleus. Methods: This analysis uses the central spectrometer arms for electron identification and forward spectrometer arms for muon identification. Azimuthal correlations are built in all sign combinations for e-mu pairs. Subtracting the like-sign yield from the unlike-sign yield removes the correlations from light flavor decays and conversions. Results: Comparing the p + p results with several different Monte Carlo event generators, we find the results are consistent with a total charm cross section sigma(c (c) over bar) = 538 +/- 46 (stat) +/- 197 (data syst) +/- 174 (model syst) mu b. These generators also indicate that the back-to-back peak at Delta phi = pi is dominantly from the leading-order contributions (gluon fusion), while higher-order processes (flavor excitation and gluon splitting) contribute to the yield at all Delta phi. We observe a suppression in the pair yield per collision in d + Au. We find the pair yield suppression factor for 2.7 &lt; Delta phi &lt; 3.2 rad is J(dA) = 0.433 +/- 0.087 (stat) +/- 0.135 (syst). Conclusions: The e-mu pairs result from partons at x(Au) similar to 10(-2) at Q(2) = 10 GeV/c(2) at the edge of the shadowing region. The pair suppression indicates modification to c (c) over bar pairs for these kinematics in the cold nuclear medium at RHIC.

Transverse momentum distributions and yields for pi(+/-), K-+/-, p, and (p) over bar in p + p collisions at root s = 200 and 62.4 GeV at midrapidity are measured by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). These data provide important baseline spectra for comparisons with identified particle spectra in heavy ion collisions at RHIC. We present the inverse slope parameter T-inv, mean transverse momentum &lt; p(T)&gt;, and yield per unit rapidity dN/dy at each energy, and compare them to other measurements at different root s in p + p and p + (p) over bar collisions. We also present the scaling properties such as m(T) scaling and x(T) scaling on the p(T) spectra between different energies. To discuss the mechanism of the particle production in p + p collisions, the measured spectra are compared to next-to-leading-order or next-to-leading-logarithmic perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations.

The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured the invariant differential cross section for production of K-S(0), omega, eta&#39;, and phi mesons in p + p collisions at root s 200 GeV. Measurements of omega and phi production in different decay channels give consistent results. New results for the omega are in agreement with previously published data and extend the measured p(T) coverage. The spectral shapes of all hadron transverse momentum distributions measured by PHENIX are well described by a Tsallis distribution functional form with only two parameters, n and T, determining the high-p(T) and characterizing the low-p(T) regions of the spectra, respectively. The values of these parameters are very similar for all analyzed meson spectra, but with a lower parameter T extracted for protons. The integrated invariant cross sections calculated from the fitted distributions are found to be consistent with existing measurements and with statistical model predictions.

Measurements of transverse-single-spin asymmetries (A(N)) in p + p collisions at root s = 62.4 and 200 GeV with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider are presented. At midrapidity, A(N) is measured for neutral pion and eta mesons reconstructed from diphoton decay, and, at forward rapidities, neutral pions are measured using both diphotons and electromagnetic clusters. The neutral-pion measurement of A(N) at midrapidity is consistent with zero with uncertainties a factor of 20 smaller than previous publications, which will lead to improved constraints on the gluon Sivers function. At higher rapidities, where the valence quark distributions are probed, the data exhibit sizable asymmetries. In comparison with previous measurements in this kinematic region, the new data extend the kinematic coverage in root s and p(T), and it is found that the asymmetries depend only weakly on root s. The origin of the forward A(N) is presently not understood quantitatively. The extended reach to higher p(T) probes the transition between transverse momentum dependent effects at low p(T) and multiparton dynamics at high p(T).